Opening the Door to Trades: Pathways to Inclusive Apprenticeship Opportunities

Authors:Shawn de RaafNaomi FraserLily KaufmannLindsay Thackery

Across Canada there is a critical need for skilled tradespeople, including in British Columbia. There is a growing recognition that to address labour shortages in the coming years, apprenticeship pathways must be more inclusive of people with disabilities. There are many barriers facing people with disabilities who wish to enter the skilled trades, and more engagement with the supported employment sector and with people with lived experience is required to understand and explore the potential of inclusive pathways into apprenticeships. Funded by the Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE) Innovation Lab, supported by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Initiatives Program (SIP), and in collaboration with Community Living BC (CLBC) and SkilledTradesBC, this project will research, develop, and design inclusive apprenticeship pathways for people with disabilities. The research will explore the interests, awareness, and readiness of people with disabilities in pursuing skilled trades careers. It will then assess the current state, promising practices, needs, and opportunities of the supported employment sector to facilitate training and employment opportunities in the skilled trades. In collaboration with partners, the research will then identify effective design elements of new apprenticeship pathways and how to build the capacity of employers and training providers to support them. Ultimately, the project will provide the foundation for future work to test an inclusive apprenticeship pathway model in a pilot project, engaging with employers, training providers, and supported employment providers to identify opportunities for long-term collaboration.

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Project Details

Capability: Knowledge Mobilization/ Workshop Facilitation - Strengthening Capacity
Policy Area: Workplace Diversity and Inclusion - Labour Market Integration of Persons with Disabilities - Employment Supports and Services
Population: People with Disabilities
Start Date: February 2024
Completion Date: October 2024
Sponsors: Canadian Association for Supported Employment (CASE)

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